Stone of Fire: An ARKANE Thriller (Book 1)

Chapter 5

Woodstock. Near Oxford, England.
 May 18, 10.47pm

      From his study, David suddenly heard Faye’s voice raised, a scream cut off quickly and a scuffle from the kitchen. He leapt up, grabbing the nearest thing at hand, a poker from the fireplace that hadn’t been moved from last winter. He was a big man, having played rugby for years and still muscular. Striding into the kitchen, he saw Faye slumped on the floor and a man in black talking into a radio.
     “Faye!” He ran towards her, raising the poker to hit her attacker. As he moved past the door of the kitchen he felt a powerful shock in the middle of his back and excruciating pain spread through his body. He fell to the ground, grunting as he lost control of his limbs and his bladder. Another man leant down over him, grimacing at the stink of urine.
“We’ve got at least ten minutes before he can move. Let’s get the girl.”
     David lay there, his ears ringing, agony flooding his senses. In that moment, he cried out to God to save his family. He wanted to scream ‘take me, not them’ but he could only lie there, body jerking in his own piss, witnessing the abduction. The man holding Faye had taped her mouth even though she remained unconscious. He hoisted her over his shoulder and took her out into the night. David heard footsteps come down the stairs and then the other man walked past him, carrying his two year old daughter, Gemma, who was also, thankfully, unconscious. David moaned, an animal sound of desperation. The man turned and said, “Bye bye Daddy” in a falsetto voice. He waved Gemma’s little hand at her father and tears welled in David’s eyes as they left him there alone.

***

Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, England.
 May 18, 10.50pm

      A radio hissed, turning Morgan’s attention from the screen. The man at the computer looked over to Jake.
“Sir, you need to see this.”
     Jake stepped over to the man’s side as the radio crackled into life. The voice was desperate.
     “Man down, man down. We’re under attack. I repeat, we’re under attack. Man down. Calling for backup, all units.”
Morgan felt a chill of fear as she heard the chaos on the radio.
     “What is it, what’s happening?” she asked, her heart hammering in her chest. She should have gone straight there.
     Jake turned, his eyes serious.
     “It’s Faye’s house. They must have come for her already. I’m so sorry, my men didn’t get there in time.”
     Morgan stared at the tiny computer screen. It showed her sister’s house, but instead of the quiet scene of the little village, there were men everywhere. She tuned out the sounds of screaming and gunfire, watching in horror as she saw a man running out of the door with the body of her sister slung over his shoulder. Behind him ran a man carrying a small bundle that could only be Gemma. They had taken her family.

***

You can buy this book and the rest of the ARKANE series in print, audio and ebook format at Amazon, Kobo and other online stores. You can sign up for my newsletter, follow me on Twitter, or like my Facebook page. For more information, see JFPenn.com Your support is appreciated. Thanks for reading!